------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: banhatin
concept:
This is an evil monster who can only be found in the nightmare,call it Hell Growl for the moment! It has furious character and fatal body fluid. In the hell, I assume it must the guardian of the Death.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: misledtomisery
concept:
The Ragged Hydra have been seen mostly in the deepest of caverns. These hellish beasts look like giant fleshy grubs with limbs and 5 heads. Little is known about these beasts, aside from its gigantic size, an appetite for flesh, and a fiery disposition. Many brave adventurers have gone on quests to rid the world of these beast, and few have returned.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: shaktool
concept:
Trivia: Of all of Satan's right-hand men, Stuart lasted the least amount of time. His soul was weak, and his body and mind quickly distorted in a feeble attempt to ward off insanity.
Stuart's shortcomings present no problem in his new career: eating things.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Orifice
concept: Skull Dragon
The Paris nights are colder then one might think. Even in the summertime it can go below freezing point. Still alot of people defien the temperature and go out for a walk. Thats useually a good idea, Paris offers a good walk for the curious. Though this night is different. This night a beast from hell has escaped its captivity of the underworld and is now unleashed upon the mortal. So as unexpecting people are strolling the streets happily thinking about things like cotton candy and monster trucks, they have no idea that a quick, stealthy and brutal beast from HELL awaits their flesh from above. Paris is going to wake up as a different city tomorrow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: cakeypigdog
concept:
The Hellbeast began as a small evil spirit who managed to capture the souls of weaker life forms.
Throughout time it has grown and grown as it has absorbed the souls of more and more powerful entities. It roams the fires of hell absorbing all who cross its path. The captured souls become part of the beast and constantly push and pull for freedom from its clutches. Once absorbed, none escape though, they struggle against their captor for all eternity.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Jabo
concept: Hell Worm
This hellish beast has taken out many brave warriors on it's forays through the humans' villages along the shore. It comes at night, directly from the deeps of Hel. No one who has seen it had the chance to tell others what it looks like. It is said to be a 100 foot long worm with a hard shell. Everything it touches burns to the ground in seconds, even the rock it is crawling on.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: jfwalls
concept:
While in the 9th level of Hell, Dante did not see the Malumvoro. A terrible beast designed for one thing, to gnaw and chew on the sinners frozen in Cocytus.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Piru
concept: The Cow From Hell
Munching the trapped souls in the blazing fires of Hell's planes, the Hellcow is the most common cattle in the land of Lucifer. Just like the casual cow it produces edible fluids... for demons and devils anyway. It is said to taste quite hot!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Joey-b
concept: Belzefer
These creatures are minnions created by lucifer himself, they're kinda like the gardners from hell.
it keeps the magma in hell (and there is allot of it there) hot by dropping extremly hot liquids from it's belly
his energy comes from devouring souls of human beings, wich are provided by mr hotness himself.
this way it keeps the hell nice and hot AND it doesnt get to crowded

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Gorgoth of Suburbia
concept: Hellish Spider
The enormous Hellish Spider has two mouths: While the lower one uses its tongues to drain its prey of blood, the upper one is free to mock the victims with hideous gurgling noises.
Although the creature isn't humanoid in shape, it does have distinct human features.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: ChenZan
concept:
The Herald of Gharra could be heard thousands of miles away. Its path of destruction evident across the northern lands. No military force could stop this city sweepers massive assaults. Its purpose, to clear the land for his master to rule a new world without any opposition, not to mention free will. Its body consist of an amalgalm of twisted and demonic forms. With a perfect defensive conglomeration of tough skin and shell, its insect like legs carry it along while the mini pug hoof legs are used to stomp down upon the fledgling opposition soldiers. For demoliton purposes, its hammerhead like upperhalf can destroy large obelisk and towers in mere moments.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Avatar
concept: Harvester of Souls
The existence of this beast is a mistery even for the Demon Kin. Wandering through the great Burning Planes, from the Peaks of Pain to to the Boiling Pits, the Harvester of Souls uses the Hell as its own feeding grounds. Even the demons believe the beast to be an aberation. It feeds on souls, like many of the demon kin but its feeding is not a result of hunger. The beast itself has been created masochistic in nature with half of it soft and easy to hurt. It balances with an extraordinary power of regeneration and each wounds heals instantaneous. Walking through the burning fields, the Harvester is in constant pain and its screams as a consequence. The scream itself draws nearby souls to the mouth of the beast and in its fiery belly that it said to burn even the essence of soul.
Aldo the demons hate it for its greed they dare not touch it because some said that the Harvester of soul is none other than one of Belial's children.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: kovah
concept: Stairway to Heaven
I was moving, I knew I was, but there was nothing but darkness on every side. Until I saw a faint glow in the distance, I knew somewhere deep inside that whatever made that faint glow was deadly. But never the less I went towards it and as I got nearer I noticed I was not the only one moving towards the welcome light in the inky blackness of this place.
When I realised just what was making this light I stopped in terror, a gigantic beast producing a faint glow in the darkness from the fire in its belly. And the lost souls of Hell flocked towards it, queuing for centuries to walk up its tongue and into its belly. I tried to stop them, to point out what it was, where they were going. But my efforts were wasted for the glow seemed to have an almost hypnotic effect on them.
"I call it the stairway to heaven..." whispered a chilling voice in my ear. I turned to find nothing, nobody there "That’s where they think they are going anyway..." The same voice in my other ear, I spun round again. Nothing.
I looked back at the creature and sank to my knees. Praying that I would never become like those souls.
Next think I knew I woke up in my bed in a cold sweat. Wondering if it was really just a nightmare, or that was what awaited those who wasted their lives...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: wizo5454
concept: Arachnidolus, Keeper of the damned
Hired by the Devil himself, Arachnidolus is assigned to catch those who might want to escape endless torture they have been comndemned to. His insect features makes him incredibly fast and agile to navigate in hell's underground tunnels. DEADLY!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: cognition.sb
concept: Hell's Wrath
From the portals of hell come creatures of unimaginable power. Each guards an entrance to the underworld. Only the dead may pass undetected.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Chris Noeth
concept:
'Urukashur', a genetically engineered creature from an alien warrior race was sent to earth where it killed every human beeing. Since this time the creature lives on earth and is taken to other planets from time to time by it's creators to kill their enemies. The rest of the universe knows the creature only as "The hellish beast".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Moai
concept: Hellsteed
Illustration and Excerpt from El Infierno, by Javier Sabado Domingo
"Hellsteed Riders on the Plain of Ash"
Hellsteeds are preferred mounts of the legions of Hell. They have the bodies of horses, but their skulls are hideous arcs of flesh and bone, bristling with fins and protuberances and ablaze with two dozen eyes, all covered in an insect-like armor carapace. There are slots and gills in this carapace, through which the beast draws its breath, and from which it often emits spouts of flame and clouds of smoke, especially when in a state of excitement or aggravation. Their tails are thick and scaled like that of a crocodile, and held aloft to counterbalance the enormous skull. Wicked barbs protrude from each of their ankles, and their hooves are made from Hell-rock itself, and are impervious to flame and magma.
Despite the commonness of their use in Hell, Hellsteeds really must be a pain in the arse when it comes to riding them. Their great pointed heads rise right up into the line of sight of whatever demon happens to be riding them, so he has to crane his neck and peer to either side of it, and often as not he gets a faceful of flame and smoke emitted from the damn thing's gills. Couple that with the beasts' foul tempers and the lack of saddles, and you've got a real [illegible][i]. But, if the beasts of burden were easy and tame, 'twouldn't be Hell.
Javier Sabado Domingo, commonly called the Mad Spaniard, was a notorious theologian of the late nineteenth centrury. His only published work, El Infierno, is a description of Hell second in importance only to Dante's work of the same name. The vividness of his illustrations and descriptions led church officials to brand him as a Satan worshipper. Reports on his unusual habits and behavior would seem to support that claim; for example, he had to dictate the text of El Infierno to one of his disciples, for it is said that every time he put a pen to paper to write his hand would take on a mind of its own and spew out evil characters. If this is true, it apparently did not affect his drawings and illustrations.
We should note that there is a small controversy over the title of this particular piece. Specifically, over whether Domingo said "Plane" or "Plain" when dictating the text. We have chosen to use the traditional wording with "Plain," but we do not guarantee its accuracy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Destinatus
concept: Hellfish
It's a common misconception that hell is all fire and no water. There is indeed water, but you really don't want to go in it. The newbies fall for it every time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Fellah.
concept:
The KURSXTAQUN beast is believed to be the mother of Hellfire. Even the strongest demons will burn up if they get too close to her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: JakkaS
concept: Anthrax’s whelp
"... every sin has its punishment"
Archangel Turius' brief to Rabyzzof, superintendient of hell's third ring.
Anthrax' whelps - the smallest of hellish monsters. Their duty is to punish people for their lewd thoughts. They usually occupy skin of sinner's head, where pick up dirty thoughts. Every finding is "rewarded" by liquid wastes, causing pimples. In radical situations result may be abscess. Creatures received in hell with a nickname "bane of teenagers' life".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Cique
concept:
"Around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
4:7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.
6:7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see!"
6:8 And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him."
(Book of Revelations)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: xgabo
concept:
When he arrived here he was all but a boy, brash and cocky, his every step ripping hairline cracks in the black obsidian void. The glow of his pale white skin hurt the perfect darkness pulsing in front of him, but he did not care. Without ceremony, he started carving the nothingness with his sharp nails, making a home for himself. The residues and excrements falling from his careless handwork he called Daemonica... like a twisted artist drawing from his own experiences, these creatures were inspired by the life he knew before, but poisoned by his tragic fall out of grace. They were bitter angels.
Soon, from the amorphic chaos, true order was born. His house was a mirror image of heaven, and like heaven, perfect in every way. But he was not happy. How could he ever be? he was away from the light, forever. As easily as the underworld was made into his kingdom, his pure sadness was made into fury; A fury so intense it set his house on fire. He sat on his throne, and his throne became a hellish beast, one so terrible he himself could not ride at first, for it was the incarnation of his own dark revenge, and he was afraid of it.
It took him awhile to grow up into what he is today, and understand what he had to do. When he came again to the beast, it recognized its true master. It slowly descended its horns to the ground and let him ride for the first time. Together they travelled the four corners of the domain, poisoning the rivers and burning the trees, and then beyond, waging war on other fallen angels. When he came back he was king, his demonic horse followed by legions of the scattered damned, now united under a single banner. tied to the tusks of the beast were two of his former angelic companions, as a reminder that nothing would be sacred again in this place.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Bendragon
concept: The Minuonerasco
Every sixty six millennia the rulers of Hell and Heaven engages in a war for all the fallen souls. When the blood of Hell's master is spilled and enters the Earth's soil, the Minuonerasco is born. Their lifespan will depend on the victor of the greatest war in the spiritual dimension. They feed on the life-force of their dark master. If the tyrant of Hell was to become victorious the Minuonerasco will be free to torment the children of the Earth with their hellish aura. The pale glow of their unlidded eye is hideous sign. The glare pierces through flesh into a man's soul as he cringe in all the memories of his sin, knowing that he is naked to these beasts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: MikeCorriero
concept: The Grimshaw
The Grimshaw are heavily armored beast of burden. They are all manifestations of the demonic hordes that mutilate these already horrifying brutes. In the wastelands Grimshaw's are accompanied by a rider and rigged with chains, metal and gears all intermingled with the flesh of this undead giant. They spread disease and plague to the open lands of hell, causing death to the fertile portions of this dense terrain.
Grimshaw's are practically unstoppable unless torn apart, and that's only if you can get past their continuous spewing of refurbished bone pellets. Within a mouth full of razor sharp rows of mangled teeth protruding through multiple layers of bone and jaws sits a mound of regurgitated souls waiting to be projected at weary victims. The undergrounds are controlled by these beasts in monstrous hordes as they rampage and torment the lost, scared and sinners within it's realm.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Beelow
concept: Cave Digger
The Cave Digger is a giant hulking mass of Bone and rock. It digs through rock and feeds on it as well. It deposites the minerals of the rock to its skin, giving the skin its strength to withstand almost anything that is thrown at it. It has been known to have destroyed great cities by sinking them into the ground. Usually, this beast remains dormant in hibernation for centuries until its next feeding.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: darkling
concept: Mungerill
This creature is a runtish relative of the true hellhound....blind at birth, it relies on its 'tail' which senses the new meat in hell to seek out its prey...pinning them down to feed on the suffering of the damned....it then passes this dark nourishment on to its hellish litter,,,,,,,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Artifex33
concept: Riverfiend
Deep in Hell lies the Erebus river, a grim causeway of flaming blood wending its way between two tiers of the damned. Along its banks lurk the Riverfiends, preying upon those souls foolish enough to try and escape their torments by diving into its conflagrated flow.
The hapless victims of the Riverfiend are eaten, digested, and then rejuvenated within the Riverfiend's enormous egg-swollen abdomen. They are horribly reborn attached to the monster's young by a placenta-like umbilical, unable to get away as they are fed upon over and over again by the horde of spider-like spawn.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Supervlieg
concept: The Gritter
(No latin name available)
The gritters await all those entering hell. They attack the damned in large numbers and strip their victims of all their burning flesh within seconds. In old folk tales the gritters are often described as the cleaners from hell. They have a lust for flesh that is unquenchable. They truly can get no satisfaction. It is unknown whether the gritters procreate or wether they have been in the same numbers since the beginning of hell. Some say all arthropods descent from the gritters in one way or the other. No proof of this has ever been found, because no live human has ever come face to face with the gritters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Matt Dixon
concept:
The beasts of Hell have no names. These blind, lumbering creatures endlessly wander the shattered mountains of the forsaken land; their swollen, sightless bodies forever torn and battered by the cruel rocks as they stumble through an eternity of torment. Ever they bellow in pain, cry in despair and roar in anger and their howls echo across the Nine Circles. Their terrible lament is a soundtrack of suffering - these are the musicians of Hell.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Lodin
concept: Amok'n'Ulash
The shepherd dog of Diablotins
In the First hell, plane of diablotins, Amok'nUlash is the guard of the gate. When the Archdevil of the plane command to gathered his strenght, Amok is the gardianship of diablotin's discipline. With his metamorph capacity, he can create any members to welt, slash or kill the little rebels.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Xpose
concept:
The Hell chaser chases the damned souls of hell from the outskirts of hell back into the fiery abyss. Sometimes they like to let the souls get far out before they start their attack just so they can smash the souls hopes even more. With these on the prowl, the is no escape.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: AK86
concept: The Hell Mantle Hound
The Hell Mantle Hound is formed from hardened magma (dont know the correct scientific name) found inside hell's deepest pits. Satan commands The Hell Mantle Hounds to patrol hell's damned caverns. The Hell Mantle Hound is extremely tough and hard wearing since it is made from one of the most toughest rocks on earth, hardened magma. The only well to fully destory a Hell Mantle Hound, is to cast it back into the magma, for which it was created from.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Purgatorio
concept:
For this, I imagined a insect-like, winged beast that would fly across the twisted landscape of hell, scooping up souls where he finds them with its long, skeletal arms. 4 times the size of a human, its victims would hear the loud, sickening buzz of its wings as it draws closer to them. Grasping its prey in its blackened, disease infested limbs, this particular hell beast would take its time to gnaw on the damned. Always hungry, never satisfied.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Skolld
concept:
Rippers patrol the lower levels of Hades, extremely fast and with a dutiful disposition toward disembowment they are one of the most feared inhbitants of the underworld.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Gridur
concept: Infernalis Canine Comedia
The story behind this little critter is that the devils of hell was bored one day, so the molded out of the flesh of fallen dogs a devilously bad looking beast, with a really big jaw to make it all worth the while, these days the critter runs around anoying there masters, but them devils sure got a big laugh when the first victims flew away from these funny looking beasts with terror in there faces.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: Stephan_R
concept:
These hellish beast spawn from the hand of death. They waddle around for sinners and souls that need a proper place. Every now and then they'll swallow whatever is in their way. These creatures have molten fire for blood, and a toxic breathe of smoke that will incapacitate its prey.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: hurricane
concept: caelum aeternus custos
The eternal guards of heaven, theese guardians patrol the border of the heaven, keeping all the angels and good-doers out of earth and hell.
It is one of the reasons why the phrase "if God exists, why am i in this position?!!" exists, the caelum aeternus custos is hindering the deeds of angels by destroying it. The light on their back is devine light wich attracts the goodness and then devours it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------artist: ArtZealot
concept:
Nearly seven feet to the hunch of it's back, this fallen angel, neither good nor evil was cast out of heaven and banished to an eternity in pergatory only after the end of times on earth. The demon has been worshipped as a god by several tribes of South America. Many stories are told about it but few have actually seen it due to it's hibernation cycle in which it buries itself in the silt deposits of the amazon river, where it often slumbers for centuries at a time. Little else is known about this beast except that it is one of the few demons who do not wish to harm or posess humans. Shamen have allegedly had out of body experiences and spoke with the beast and learned that the demon would rather use it's immortality to simply observe the history of the earth from beginning to end than cause chaos to it's inhabitants. The nameless beast doomed for eternity waits one seemingly eternity on earth, only to live another in it's cursed form in the middleground between heaven and hell because it is neither good nor evil and is welcome nowhere.

artist: Blue
concept: Soul Seeker
This dog like creature rummages through hell collecting souls which have taken refuge in the various nooks and crannies of hell, hiding from the demons who are to torment them. The Soul Seeker uses the eyes and ears of the souls it collects to scower the deepest darkest caves in hell. If a soul is found, the Soul Seeker will eat it in one bite, where the soul will find itself becoming part of the soul seeker, aiding it to find other poor souls...

It was hard to cast one. But I did. I gave serious consideration to Chuck Wadey and Lodin, but in the end JakkaS' ugly little fleck of a demon pissing on the hair folicle sent me over the edge. He got my vote.

Because of the insane number of good entries I will not talk about everyone here...

The decision for the vote was not an easy one.
I said it before I love the art of Matt Dixon and his quicky looks great. But my vote goes to MikeCorriero because his image is a light one with perfect technique and the white is a good contrast to the dark theme of COW 66. It would not be fair to vote allways for Matt and because it was a quicky this time... my vote goes to Mike... hehe

Wow... what a group to pick from... so many runner's up... but xgabo got my vote... almost seems like there is just one of these beasts/mounts in the realm, but execution was superb..
I couldnt begin to crit everyones work... I will try and put some thoughts together at a later time... just wanted to say grats to all.. and tks for lettin me enter.

That was the last comment above your image:
"Is it too late to throw down a sketch? I have time to finish it tommorrow...I think."
I understand this as not finished and a WIP...btw it also made the decision easier for me to think about accepting or rejecting the piece...it was very human like...but your sketch comment made the decision

Originally Posted by dragon4lunch

Hey Fozzybar I'm just curious: Did you not put up my piece (page 1) for vote because I didn't have a discription?

Your last comment in your image post:
"Here my rough thus far"
This and the missing description made me think it is a WIP as well.

So the conclusion for all participants:
Whether leave the sketch/wip/not finished comments out from the beginning or DELETE them afterwards if you update your image...i can't read your minds only what you write down here

I had to give it to xgabo as well. I like how the teeth work between the tusks. I was soo close to voting Cakeypigdog, Moai, MikeC or Matt D. It's hard to point out one piece, they're all so polished as expected.

I was torn between Chuck and Xgabo, but ended up going with Chuck because I just think that skinny dorky guy on the beast's back is...well...dorky. So many awesome entries though. Here were all my faves:

xgabo: I think all your work is cool, but here it's even better because the color is better. I don't mind the black line work that usually lives in your illustrations, but I don't like it when that black bleeds into the fill color in your shadow side. Because that's not occurring here, I think it's a nice improvement. I think the brownish base is monotonous because it's everywhere and I'd prefer to see the creature come up off of it. People are tired of elephant creatures, but I give you points because I think it's clever the way you created a false trunk silhouette by extending a curled lower lip.

That said, I voted for Corriero. Just a personal judgment on which one I'd, theoretically, keep on my desktop longer. Not to worry, you're margin is quite healthy anyway.

ALL: My apologies for the few comments this week. The field is sooo large and I have a lot of work. If you want my opinions, PM me and I'll be happy to conjure up some C&C eventually. Thank you for voting - here and everywhere.

Originally Posted by jfwalls

I was torn between Chuck and Xgabo, but ended up going with Chuck because I just think that skinny dorky guy on the beast's back is...well...dorky.

So in other words, I didn't win your vote - Xgabo lost it. LOL... Where have I heard that before?.. recently... today... on the news...

Chuck - I know what you mean about the black in the fill colour, but that has happened for a very specific reason. I tampered with my monitor gamma a few months ago (for a specific print I needed to do), and I totally forgot to bring it back to normal settings. That made my paintings get much darker than I intended in most people's monitors, while for me it was all ok; I only noticed that recently and fixed the problem. Now the shadows look the way I intended when I painted them. I even came back, re-leveled all my recent posts for CA and posted them in my website.